Exploring Saint Paul's historic district

Looking for fun ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your loved ones? Here are some ideas, ranging from the traditional – a lovely meal or dancing – to the unusual – snowshoeing or Victorian poetry, anyone?

Though February 14th is sold out, they’ve added a seating on the 13th for this romantic candlelit dinner among the indoor gardens of St. Paul’s lush conservatory. String music, limited wine and beer, and animal ambassadors will enhance your experience, as will the opportunity to bask in the humidity and warmth in the midst of a dry St. Paul February.

If you want to make Valentine’s a full day experience, or enjoy the atmosphere of the conservatory and have dinner elsewhere, there are other events during the day, including the Winter Flower Show, and a chance to meet the conservatory’s gardeners at 1:00.

Looking for something a little unusual to do with your loved ones? Maybe something outdoors? The Three Rivers Park District offers events ranging from Candlelit Trails to a Victorian Valentine’s Dinner to a Valentine’s Snowshoe Hike to a Lovebirds’ Local Foods Dinner and Sleigh Rides. All their events but one (which is sold out) are happening the weekend before Valentine’s Day, so you could choose off Three River’s menu and do something on the day, if you want to make an extravaganza of the holiday this year.

Three River Parks District is in Hennepin County, so a little bit of a drive from the B&B, but well worth it. Check out the webpage for more information on individual events.

“Love is in the air, so join us for a special night of ballroom dancing with The Dancers Studio Family! Includes complimentary glass of champagne at the door, dessert and cash bar throughout the evening.

“Celebrate Valentine’s Day the old-fashioned way by enjoying classic 19th century poetry in the James J. Hill House drawing room. Actors Craig Johnson, Laura Salveson and Ann Daly, wearing 1890s eveningwear, will perform a wide range of humorous and stirring poems by Dickinson, Poe, Longfellow, Browning and more dealing with love, romance, temperance, sports and war—even poems about James J. Hill! Audience members are also invited to bring a short Victorian poem to read aloud throughout the evening.”

“Historian Stewart Van Cleve blends oral history, archival narrative, newspaper accounts and fascinating illustrations to paint a remarkable picture of Minnesota’s queer history. Van Cleve will present from his book “Land of 10,000 Loves: A History of Queer Minnesota,” which explores the sacrifices, scandals and victories that have affected and continue to affect the lives of queer Minnesotans.

“Stewart Van Cleve is a former assistant curator of the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at the University of Minnesota.”

O’Gara’s is celebrating their 75th anniversary this year with a St. Paddy’s tent party blowout. You can get corned beef and cabbage, a Shamrock burger, or other Irish goodies. Accompany it with some beer or a good whisky.

This week they’re serving music with their food. Check their website for additional events, but here’s their schedule for the day itself.

Noon – 4 pm: Hang out with Ben and Dana for the Go 96.3 Morning Show and test your luck on the Irish prize wheel for a chance to win some cool prizes.

This downtown restaurant will be opening at 10:00 am on the 17th for the convenience of parade-goers, and offering a limited St. Patrick’s Day menu including corned beef and cabbage, corned beef sandwiches, salmon, and clam chowder.

The St. Paul Grill (the restaurant at the St. Paul Hotel) will have a stand on 5th & Market for the downtown St. Patrick’s Day Parade starting at 10:30 am. They’ll be serving Reuben sliders with sweet potato chips, Guinness, Jameson Ginger, and Bailey’s & Coffee. They’ll be serving their regular menu inside.

Shamrock’s has a full day of events planned for St. Patrick’s day, extending into the weekend, including a special menu, a tent party, movies, and “all things green.” You can find more information on their Facebook page.

While you’re visiting the B&B this week, help St. Paul celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The city takes the wearin’ o’ the green seriously, and here are some ways you can wear your Irish proudly (even if you’re not Irish at all!).

This year marks the 50th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade through downtown St. Paul. Held rain, snow, or shine on March 17th (unless it falls on a holy day or Sunday), it’s a wildly popular event, with lots of bands, dancers, community groups, and wearing of the green, but only a few vehicles for dignitaries. The parade culminates with the crowning of Ms. Shamrock, and is put on by the St. Patrick’s Association.

Thurs, March 17th at noon. (You’ll want to arrive early for good viewing.)
It runs down 5th Street, starting at Sibley Street and ending at Rice Park.

If you’re eager to dance instead of watch, this is the event for you. This is traditional Irish folk dance, with a caller, and it’s a great family event. Beginners are welcome. Beverages and desserts available.

“Experience the sights, sounds and tastes of a Victorian Christmas in 1875. During the guided tour, guests can taste homemade cookies fresh from the wood burning stove, listen to popular holiday music of the era played on the family’s Steinway piano, and view original family ornaments and Christmas gifts. Discover how the Ramsey family and their friends, neighbors and servants prepared for and celebrated the Christmas season. Shop in the Carriage House gift store for replica Victorian ornaments and holiday items.

The 60-minute guided tours start every half hour with the last tour starting at 3:30 pm. A Victorian Christmas at the Ramsey House runs Wednesdays through Sundays Nov. 27, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016, except Dec. 25.

“The bustle and excitement of a Gilded Age Christmas is brought to life as the servants of the James J. Hill House prepare for the holidays. Costumed actors portray people who worked for the Hill family in a dramatized portrayal of servant life and holiday preparations at the Hill family’s Summit Avenue mansion. The program moves through the elegant first floor spaces and then to the basement servant work areas. The script is based on letters and oral histories of people who worked for the Hill family during the first decade of the 20th century.

Tours leave every half hour, and Hill House Holidays runs Saturdays and Sundays from Dec. 5-27.

“Join the Ghost of Mill City Past for an intimate look at the 1920 Washburn Crosby holiday party in this unique play set in the museum’s Flour Tower elevator ride. Scenes unfold on different floors where the audience meets characters drawn from the pages of the company’s employee newspaper, the Eventually News. Witness the rocky romance of Celia and Otto; meet marketing mastermind Benjamin S. Bull; experience the awesome sweeping power of Bill Smith and learn the secret origin of the Washburn Crosby marketing slogan, “Eventually—Why Not Now?”

Performances are at 6, 7 and 8 pm. Recommended for ages 8 and older. Ticket includes museum admission and refreshments after the play.

“The European Christmas Market in St. Paul is based on the traditional, charming, and festive open air Christkindlmarkts that spring up in Germany, Austria and other countries during the Advent season. Shop for unique, handmade holiday gifts and decorations from local vendors, drink Glühwein (spiced mulled wine), and taste European inspired food and delicacies during the first two weekends in December:

As the summer winds down, it is time to think of the beginning of school. There are many colleges nearby: Macalester, Hamline, St Catherine’s, St. Thomas, Concordia, Metro University, St. Paul College, the University of Minnesota. Cathedral B&B is continually the place where students and their parents come while the moving in process takes place. It is nice and calm here, a good place to rest as you go about “emptying your nest”.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in Saint Paul, and he was born in the year Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast was built. Of course 488 Holly was a single family dwelling then and not a bed and breakfast. Fitzgerald lived in many places in this neighborhood and it is very fun to take a walking tour visiting the places where he lived. Here is a link to the walking tour. So, while the weather is nice, why not take the tour and look for some of our clues while you do so. Remember, you will get 15% off your stay if you get 15 of the 20 architectural pictures identified as to address.

We have big news this weekend at the bed and breakfast. Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast has just launched a new website. There is all the usual information about policies, rooms, rates, breakfasts but what makes it all so exciting is that we now show you the blog and our Facebook page is integrated too. This means, there are many ways to learn about the specials we run, the contests we are involved in and also what is going on around town.

There is a very nice walking tour of Summit Avenue which takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in the summmer. It originates only blocks away from Cathedral Hill Bed and Breakfast. Plan ahead and experience the neighborhood. You might even see some of the scavenger hunt clues!

On June 16, July 22 and August 19 there will be a pub crawl of Summit Hill. You will learn the stories behind the famous Victorian facade, and stop at some of the area’s fine drinking establishments. This tour will be given through the Minnesota Historical Society. The tours will leave from the History Center promptly at 7 pm and they will feature trolley rides. Reservations required.